Meredith Loch (Hybird)
M'aredith Loch' (b. 1 August, 1980) was a half-blood witch and the only child of Euan and Rochana Loch (née Insee). She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991-1998 and was sorted into Slytherin House, becoming a prefect in her fifth year. The Loch family name, though excluded from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, helped her to befriend other pure-bloods, namely Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass. Over the winter holiday of her sixth year, Maredith naively attended a Christmas party held at Malfoy Manor, which was a gathering to formally pledge one's allegiance to Lord Voldemort. She along with many of her housemates were instructed to stomp out Harry Potter's supporters at Hogwarts. Biography Early life (1980-1991) Maredith was born on 1 August, 1980, to Euan and Rochana Loch — her father from a pure-blood family tasked with keeping Great Britain's kelpies under control, and her mother a muggle-born. Lochs were typically known to be sorted into Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Maredith was looked after by her great aunt Ainsley for most parts of the day, as both her parents worked until evening. Ainsley, then the only Slytherin in the family, raised her with traditional pure-blood beliefs that clashed with her parents' muggle-friendly view on life. As a half-blood, she felt torn between the two perspectives, and often switched between them. Physical appearance Maredith had thick, dark brown, nearly black hair, hazel eyes, and a round nose bridged with freckles. Around her third year, she began using Sleakeazy's Hair Potion regularly, like the rest of her dorm mates. When she didn't, she left it in a ponytail. Personality and traits Magical abilities and skills *'Charms': Maredith was one of the most advanced Charmers in her year, as she and Hermione Granger received near identical grades in the subject. In class, she would often try to raise her hand first to earn House Points, but was happy to remain silent in other subjects. She used the Doubling Charm considerably, despite it not being taught in class. During the Triwizard Tournament, she multiplied various goods customized to support each of the school's Champions (except for Harry Potter, in true Slytherin spirit). By the end of her fifth year, she could cast the Protean Charm and used it on several pieces of parchment to communicate with her friends over the summer. She had a difficult time casting a Patronus in school, even despite asking Lupin to teach her, but reached a fully corporeal form in her adulthood. Maredith was also particularly good at memory charms. After the war, she pursued a career in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and served in the Obliviator Headquarters. *'Dark Magic': Though merely an area of interest in her Hogwart's days, Maredith went to extreme lengths during the war, successfully creating her own army of inferi to counter Voldemort's. Though she didn't believe in magic being good or evil, part of her soul was undoubtedly damaged in the process. Possessions *'Wand': Maredith's wand was 11½", walnut, and with a dragon heartstring core. It was, according to Garrick Ollivander, "quite flexible." She was slightly bothered that it was curved at the end, as it made it harder to accurately aim spells. Her second wand, which she rarely used, belonged to her great aunt. It was made from aspen wood, and contained a stand of hair from the Loch Ness Monster. Relationships Etymology * ''Maredith ''is a variant of the traditionally male, Welsh name, ''Meredith, ''meaning "great lord." It could alternatively mean "guardian of the sea." * ''Loch, ''in Scottish, is a name given for someone who lived near a loch or lake. Behind the scenes * Maredith originally was going to be called Gwen. The author, however, couldn't decide on which variation to use: Gwendolin (the original choice), Gwendoline, Gwendolyn, Gwellian, Gwenda, Gwennan, etc., before scrapping it completely. Part of the decision was because there were already a few existing characters with the name already: Gwenog Jones and Gwendoline Babcocke. * Mai Davika was set to be the face of then Gwendolin Loch, but the change in names also brought up a change of faces. Ultimately, the role was given to Violette Wautier. Wautier coming from Thai and French heritage, mirrored Maredith's own background of a Thai mother and European (Scottish) father. * Maredith's future was greatly affected by Dumbledore and Theodore's use of time turners. Dumbledore stated offhandedly that in one timeline "She had gone to Ravenclaw, which bolstered her curiosity. Voldemort's magic fascinated her, and she met her end in getting too close." The timeline Theodore changed was one in which Daphne, Draco, and Maredith all died. * Ainsley Loch married Marius Black, a squib disowned by the the Black family. Marius took the Loch name to formally detach from his family, but still found himself miserable being married to a witch. He left Ainsley for a muggle woman and had non-magical children, to whom he passed on the Loch name. Cantankerus Nott, who'd been rejected by Ainsley in their youth, purposefully left the Lochs off the pure-blood registry after word got out about Marius, even though his family were Lochs only in name, and not by blood.